Sorta, it is actually 2 bearings and 4 races. It is like a hub kit in that there are inner and outer bearings with 1 separate race each and one more in each cone. In a unitized bearing set up, the races are integral to the two halves that press together.
Do this. It’s free and you can drive all you want to. Couple wrenches and a BFH and this is done.
Take the top off out the wife in the Jeep and go for a stress release ride all whilst showing her how awesome you are.
No, they are able to create shoulders for the internals to butt up against that set the preload. Same way they do the Dana 44 axle shaft bearings. There is no preload on those that we set, we just tighten the retainer, it bows a small amount and done. The race butts against the top ring and that sets the preload.
Not at all, it prevents it from coming apart.
You need to be more specific. If by Jeep front axle, you mean JK and later, then yes, they are like other bearings in that when they press them together, they roll the lip of the inner over the outer to hold them together. You can drive on the JK unit bearings without the stub shaft in place.
Now for the terrible part. The amount of abuse you can deliver to the unit bearing sans shaft varies so much, it is almost unpredictable. I've seen several instances where they separated at speed and in at least one, caused the death of the driver when the rig hit a tree after leaving the highway due to loss of steering.
My caution was to NEVER drive without the stub shafts or equivalent bolting the unit bearings together. If you bolt it together properly with any of the methods outlined above, you will be fine because you are duplicating what you have now which is the unit bearing properly held together.
1" x 4 1/2" with a large enough washer to equal the diameter of the flange on the stub shaft so it will actually hold the two parts together.
